Newshour

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has promised Brazilians he will not stop fighting to secure them a better future as he launched his campaign for re-election. In a speech in a Sao Paulo stadium, the 80 year-old said he understood his fellow countrymen much better than more privileged people - a dig at his main rival, Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of the former president. The right-wing candidate kicked off his campaign on Copacabana Beach in Rio by promising to get tough on crime.
Also in the programme: The 'polar silk road'- a new weekly service that will transit the Arctic passage and bypass the Middle East; and we meet a street performer in Colombia who entertains people with spinning tops. Now he has become an earthquake rescuer, digging people out of the rubble.
(Photo: A supporter of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends the launch of his re-election campaign. Brazil, August 16, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Adriano Machado)

About 5000 people have been displaced on Indonesia's Flores island, after an earthquake hit the region, followed by hundreds of aftershocks. Many families spent the night in makeshift shelters outside their collapsed homes. They say they are not receiving enough help from Jakarta.
Also in the programme: New South Wales is launching a gun buyback scheme; and President Lula da Silva launches his re-election campaign in Brazil.
(Photo: Evacuees affected by an earthquake stay in temporary shelters in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, 16 August 2026. CREDIT: EPA/Shutterstock)

The Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have been celebrating the fifth anniversary of their return to power in Kabul. But they continue to face allegations of severe repression of women and girls, who are now virtually excluded from all public life. The BBC's Lyse Doucet has an assessment of life under the Taliban and she talks to two former BBC Afghan journalists who managed to escape rule under the Taliban.

Also in the programme: Israel has defended its deadly strikes across southern Lebanon, saying they were in retaliation for a Hezbollah attack on its occupying forces. We find out why the Lebanese president has cast doubts on Israel's sincerity in peace negotiations. And we hear from the soul backing trio, the Womack sisters who've finally released their self-titled debut album this week.

(Photo: Members of the Taliban participate in a rally to mark five years in power, in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Sayed Hassi.)

The Taliban is celebrating 5 years since they seized-back control of Afghanistan - with parades and events that women are banned from joining.
The BBC's Lyse Doucet joins us live from Kabul with an assessment of life under the Taliban, and why so many women fear for their safety with the extremists back in charge.
Also in the programme: We'll have the latest on the Indonesian earthquake; we'll discuss what impact Ukrainian attacks are having on Russian civilians; and we'll hear from the musician still playing jazz at 100.
(Photo shows members of the Taliban attending a rally to mark five years in power in Kabul, Afghanistan on 15 August 2026. Credit: Mohammad Yunus Yawar/Reuters)

The BBC's Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet, returns to Afghanistan to report on the state of the country after five years of Taliban rule. She also brings us an interview with Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Later, we hear from the American four-star general David Petraeus, who led US forces in Afghanistan for a year.
Also in the programme: Colombian Vice-President Jose Manuel Restrepo on how his country has handled the aftermath of last week's earthquake; and the BBC Proms festival of classical music celebrates the legacy of the Motown musician Marvin Gaye.
(Photo: An Afghan boy sells flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Taliban's return to power. Credit:
EPA/Shutterstock)